We have all had the same conversation at one time or another: the topic of the most recent mass shooting comes up, and someone says “Well, gun control laws won’t help, guys like this will just buy them illegally, ya know?” Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, history tells a different story. Originally put forth after a mass shooting at a school in Stockton, CA in 1989, the original American ban on assault weapons was bolstered by a 1993 shooting at a law firm in San Francisco. Championed by Senator Dianne Feinstein, the 10 year ban on assault weapons had to make some key concessions to get through Congress: it allowed those who already owned their weapons to keep them and instituted a 10 year “sunset provision” by which the ban would expire in 2004 unless expressly renewed by Congress.
The numbers are behind such laws: Christopher Koper, a professor of Criminology at George Mason University suggested that “The law’s significant exemptions ensured that its full effects would occur only gradually over time, and those effects were still unfolding at the time it expired.” James Alan Fox, a professor at Northeastern, collected data back in 1982 that assault weapons, far less prevalent than they are now, were responsible for nearly 25% of mass shootings. He projected that “Bans on large-capacity magazines are associated with 38 percent fewer fatalities and 77 percent fewer nonfatal injuries when a mass shooting occurred.”
In reality, the potential lives saved by the bill lived up to predictions: mass shootings fell by 37% during the ban, with 43% less lives lost. After the bill lapsed in 2004, mass shooting events increased sharply, by 183%, with a 239% increase in deaths. And yet, the American population seems to have been convinced that stricter gun control laws and bans on large capacity weapons are futile. Years of propaganda by the NRA and far right have left people distinctly sure that bad guys only buy their weapons illegally, good guys with guns can stop them, and any attempt to stymie the flow of mass shootings through gun control would wholly violate the 2nd Amendment.
The Uvalde shooting disproves all of that: the bad guy bought his guns fully legally and the good guys stood outside waiting while he slaughtered school age children. From 1966 to 2019, 77% of guns used in mass shootings were bought legally. Even those with a history of violence have been able to get guns, like the Parkland shooter whose school had reported “violent, racist threats,” or the recent Buffalo shooter, who “had recently been required to undergo psychological evaluation after making menacing, violent comments to high school classmates, but the episode was not enough to set off the state’s “red flag” law.”
Other developed countries have taken much firmer stances on gun control. A mere two weeks after a 1996 shooting that left 35 dead and another 23 injured, Australia had banned semi-automatic weapons, instituted a buyback program, and begun a federal database of gun owners. In the ten years prior to this incident, there were 11 mass shootings. In the 25 years since, there have been only 3. A 1996 shooting at a primary school in Scotland that left 16 students dead led to the banning of all handguns. There hasn’t been a single mass shooting since. A 1989 shooting in Montreal that left 14 students dead led to a 28 day waiting period for purchase, a federal ownership database, and a ban on large capacity magazines. A subsequent 2020 shooting in Nova Scotia led to the banning of over 1000 types of “assault style weapons.” In Israel, you must have a government permit, be at least 27 years old, pass a psychological exam and a gun safety test, and are still limited to 50 bullets and a handgun.
So, if America’s contemporaries are so willing to restrict the purchase and possession of these highly lethal machines, why isn’t America? This is, perhaps, the greatest example of democratic backsliding. The more mass shootings that occur, the more the left calls for gun control, and the more the right cries “Unconstitutional!” The NRA is a prolific donator to GOP politicians, and the resulting passion with which these politicians protect the interests of the organization is little more than plain old corruption and populism. The people are convinced that the elite left is trying to take away their constitutional rights, and their republican representatives are the only ones fighting for them. In reality, that elitist left is trying to stop people from dying.
Covid-19 saw the same phenomena: the right calls for their right to not wear a mask or get vaccinated, with little concern for the others that may fall ill or die as a result of their actions. In America, a culture of every man for himself, intense capitalism, and staunch possessiveness of one’s personal liberty over the community’s wellbeing has created a culture of mass death. Disinformation has allowed the population to be swayed into thinking that they, as legal, upstanding gun owners, are so different from mass shooters, who clearly must get their guns illegally.
By feeding the population “fake news,” promoting an us versus them mentality with the pro-gun control left, and allowing NRA money to corrupt right wing politicians, gun culture in the US has effectively created its own little bubble of democratic erosion. Other advanced democracies have succeeded where America has failed because they lack the immensely strong gun lobbies that we have. Had British politicians campaigns been funded by gun money in 1996, perhaps their reaction to the shooting in Scotland may have been less final. The issue here is unregulated guns and poor mental health care, but the issue is also money in politics. Take away the NRA’s ability to finance entire campaigns, and see how much more malleable the GOP becomes on the issue. Corruption has allowed our children to be shot in their classrooms, and corruption is causing American democracy to erode.
Sources:
https://www.npr.org/2019/08/13/750656174/the-u-s-once-had-a-ban-on-assault-weapons-why-did-it-expire
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/03/24/bidens-claim-that-1994-assault-weapons-law-brought-down-mass-shootings/
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/16/us/politics/legal-gun-purchase-mass-shooting.htm
https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/how-to-prevent-gun-massacres-look-around-the-world
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/05/social-media-democracy-trust-babel/629369/
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/08/09/the-big-money-behind-the-big-lie
I think the Uvalde shooting really showed the faults, and hypocrisy of those who are against stricter gun control. It was difficult to hear no answers from pro gun politicians in Texas on their plans to combat gun violence after the shooting, as whenever they were confronted, a majority argued that the issue was not a political issue and instead the left were trying to turn into a political issue. That statement makes no sense when the NRA has been one of the biggest lobbying groups in the US throughout history, and knowing that more strict gun control could have aided in the situation. The world is furious currently because this issue showed that a ” good guy with a gun” is not a reliable solution to gun violence, as the good guys with guns in that situation did not step up. Enough so that as of recently Canada has gone to pass legislation that serves as a stricter gun control and the banning of weapons. While this might work for Canada, I do not know if it will work for the US since guns are so intertwined in American culture.
Devina, it is very tragic to see more and more shootings occur so often here in the United States. Despite this being the so-called “land of the free,” I do believe that someone’s rights end where it crosses the line of threatening someone else and putting them at risk. Many innocent children have lost their lives to these shooters, and things should not be this way. While mental health and access to guns play a significant role in these events, I believe that it is ultimately up to the government to task themselves with better programs for gun control and mental health. You gave a great example that highlights a potential solution that this country can implement themselves, like Australia and the ban on semi automatic weapons. This is not the freedom or right to bear arms, there is no need for that kind of gun quality to the average citizen. It seems almost impossible that the US will one day reach such a low number of shootings like in Australia. We see this occur too often that we have almost become numb to the breaking news, as we agree something needs to change, yet the same conversation is happening nationally over and over again, at the cost of innocent lives.
Hi Devina! I really enjoyed reading your article and seeing how it connects very well to current events. I definitely agree that the same conversations come up whenever we have a mass shooting, which is very telling especially since I wrote “Whenever we have a mass shooting”. Just that sentence alone really shows no improvement on gun laws/control. I also liked the inclusion of fake news and corruption as money is such a game changer in politics as it can change how different individuals or groups support you.
Hi Devina,
I really like your article and think that it is very timely. In particular, I like your discussion of the development of an us v them mentality and think that it provides a solid example of polarization surrounding issues such as gun control in the US and how such polarization has led to erosion. I also appreciate your discussion of the impacts of disinformation on this topic in influencing the beliefs of voters, just as the existence of money in politics does, with regards to the same.
Hi Devina,
I agree with you that the U.S. government should promote stricter regulation of gun control. Through the development of technology, guns became way more powerful than 250 years ago. The weapon mentioned in the Constitution was not as powerful as it is now.
Mass shootings have been one of the most dangerous concerns in American society. Understanding the gun control policy is a great way to help people realize the pros and cons of gun control laws in the U.S.
Hello Devina,
I enjoyed reading all that you have written in this blog as I have enjoyed reading what you have to say on this topic. Unfortunately, this is a topic and a tragedy that we have become familiar with. As these events continue to occur, we have more and more politicians and citizens saying that there needs to be change. In this last shooting in Texas, the Republicans are saying that we need to invest more money into security for schools in America. On the other hand, the Democrats are saying that there need to be stricter gun laws. Although both voices are loud, we see no action taken.
Hello Devina,
Thank you for touching upon the NRA’s role in influencing the Republican party. When the public has overwhelming support for gun reform and yet nothing happens it’s because we have a Congress that is beholden to the gun industry. It is very obvious that the NRA has intimidated the republican leadership which is why I am glad you condemn them so hard. They are literally focusing more on their own political survival than on people who are dying.